Will Yun Lee set as the villain in The Wolverine

July 10, 2012 - By Liam Goodwin

According to Variety Korean actor Will Yun Lee (Elektra, Die Another Day) has been cast as the villain in The Wolverine. Details on his role haven’t been released, but last year Hugh Jackman confirmed he’d be fighting the Silver Samurai, so it’s likely Lee will be wielding the katana.

In the comics The Silver Samurai (real name Kenuichio Harada) is the half-brother of Wolverine’s lover Mariko Yashida. His mutant ability allows him to generate a field of tachyonic energy around his katana that allows it to cut through almost any material on earth except for adamantium (how convenient for Wolverine).

Hiroyuki Sanada (“Lost,” Rush Hour 3, The Last Samurai) is set to play Shingen; veteran actor Hal Yamanouchi (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Push, Sinbad of the Seven Seas) plays Yashida; and new discoveries Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima will star as Mariko and Yukio, respectively. While none of these actors have much of a following outside of Japan, the fact that a major studio is trying to keep some authenticity in a film of this magnitude is very encouraging.

The script, written by The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie, takes Wolverine to Japan where he falls for a woman named Mariko, the daughter of a Japanese crime lord. Early in production there was talk of shooting in Japan, and some shooting may still take place there, but it looks like Australia is once again the shooting base for Wolverine.

James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) is directing, shooting will begin next month in Australia.